Invest Your Trash!

There is a school in South Sulawesi called SMKN 1 Pinarang that
opens a method called Garbage Bank. Garbage Bank is a system that
actually runs a simple rule like the real bank, where you can get
money as you invest your trash in that bank. The trash that can
be invested is dry-trash or inorganic trash. The trash that you
give will be weighted and you will get the money depends on the
weight of your trash. The principal of this school said that this
act can be integrated with 5Rs program (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,
Replace, and Replant). This program really helps them in keeping
their environment clean and reduces the pollution. The principal
also said that the client of this Garbage Bank is not only
students, but also the teachers in that school.

Then, where will those huge amounts of trash go? SMKN 1 Pinarang
will sell the trash to people who can transform it into something
useful, like handicrafts. This activity also helps reducing
unemployment because it will create job opportunity, and
recycling or making handicrafts requires a lot of people. So,
besides making the environment clean, Garbage Bank also gives
benefits in employment.

Garbage Bank can also be found at Kapuk Muara, Lamongan, and even
a big corporation like Shell, according to Kompas newspaper, is
now developing Garbage Bank. Garbage Bank becomes popular now and
I guess it’s a good thing because it really helps to cure the
earth although it starts in small scope, but it sure gives big
impact for the environment and social condition.

This can be a stimulus for youth around the world to make other
innovations to help solving environment problems, especially
trash.

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